Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Mission Minded?

For awhile now, I have been frustrated with the ever-present mindset of people just going to church instead of being the church.  I'm not alone in this thought process, as my pastor has been speaking on this very thing lately.  Over the past couple of years, God has been speaking to me about changes that I need to make.  As a result, I believe that overall I have become a more forgiving person, a more eternity-minded person and hopefully a more loving person (especially to those with whom I disagree). Of course, I still have much more to learn.

But when I read God's Word and actually try to DO what it says, I realize how sinful I am, and I am constantly reminded of why I need Christ.  So, I have been convicted about my lack of true service to God.  This thought came to my mind:

If I were from say, South Korea, and I came with my family to my hometown to be a missionary, I would be meeting my neighbors, witnessing to them, inviting them to church, etc.  But because I LIVE here, I just tend to drive on by and sometimes wave. What I think is that I need to have a missionary mindset--as if I were here on a mission trip--because isn't that really what it is?  We are on this earth to build His kingdom, right?  We just get so wrapped up in our own "worlds" and forget that every day we are to be His servants.

Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled like crazy in our world right now, and I personally feel a great urgency to reach people for Christ.  I don't have to go somewhere else.  I can be a "missionary" in my hometown, where there are LOTS of people who desperately need Jesus.  That means not just GOING to church, but SERVING in a church.  It means not focusing on where I am most comfortably entertained (music, programs, friends), but where God can use my abilities from Him the most.  I'm having a change of heart, and though I don't know where this will lead, I know that building God's kingdom is a most important and incredibly urgent task, so therefore, I will follow.


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